Outboard motor attachment



Feb. 28, 1961 Filed July 18, 1956 Fig.2

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Edgar 6. Hausmann IN VEN TOR.

OUTBOARD MOTOR ATTACHMENT Filed July 18, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.3

54 F/g. 4 E

Edgar C. Hausmann INVENTOR.

OUTBOARD MOTOR ATTACHMENT Edgar C. Hausmann, 15062 Cruse Ave, Detroit, Mich. Filed July 18, 1956, Set. No..598,603

Claims. (Cl. 11542) This invention relates in general to new and useful improvements in equipment for small boats and more specifically to improved attachment intended for use in conjunction with boats having outboard motors mounted thereon.

An outboard motor is so constructed whereby the screw thereof is disposed beneath the level of the bottom of the boat on which it is attached. As a result, when the boat is moved into relatively shallow water, the screw and the lower part of the housing of the outboard motor will strike the bottom with the result that the outboard motor will be damaged if the operator of the boat is not careful. In many instances the running into shallow water is accidental. On the other hand, in other instances it is desired that the boat be operated through shallow water and as a result the operator of the boat must tilt the outboard motor to the desired angle so that it will be moved up with respect to the bottom of the boat. This is a difficult operation and in many instances the operator of the boat misjudges the depth of the water with the result that the lower part of the housing of the outboard motor or the screw thereof is damaged. Also, when it is desired to beach a small boat, it is necessary to quickly pull up the outboard motor at the proper instant so that it becomes entirely clear of the bottom of the water.

It is therefore the primary object of this invention to provide an improved attachment to be used on small boats in conjunction with outboard motors whereby as the depth of the water becomes shallower and shallower, and the lower part of the outboard motor would normally strike the bottom of the water, the attachment will ride on the bottom and will gradually tilt the outboard motor upwardly so that the lower part of the housing and the screw thereof will clear the bottom at all times.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved guard for outboard motors, the guard being so constructed whereby it may be mounted on a transom of a boat in a position out of the way of an outboard motor and being disposed forwardly of the outboard motor in such a position so that when the guard engages the bottom of the body of water in which the boat is moving, the guard will be swung upwardly and will tilt the outboard motor accordingly to protect the outboard motor at all times.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an improved guard for use inconjunction with outboard motors, the guard including a ground engaging shoe which is positioned for engagement with the bottom of the body of water so as' to tilt the outboard motor upwardly out of the way of the bottom and at the same time provide an effective guard for the screw thereof.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accom- Patented sea. 28, 3.3m

2 panying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view taken through a stern portion of a small boat having an outboard motor mounted thereon, there being mounted on the transom of the boat the outboard motor attachment which is the subject of this invention and shows it in its normal position;

Figure 2 is a rear elevational view of the boat of Figure 1 and shows further the relationship between the outboard attachment and the outboard motor mounted on the transom of the boat;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 and shows the attachment in engagement with a projection in the bottom of the water with the attachment being tilted with respect to the boat and at the same time maintaining the outboard motor in a tilted position and protecting it from the bottom;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken through a major part of the attachment removed from the boat and shows the specific details of one of the support arms thereof and the details of a bottom engaging shoe and an outboard motor push block;

Figure 5 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken through the upper part of a major portion of the outboard motor attachment and shows further the details of the support arm, the bottom engaging shoe and the push block; and

Figure 6 is a plan view of a release handle for releasing the outboard motor attachment sothat it and the outboard motor may resume their normal vertical positions of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that there is illustrated a conventional type of boat which is referred 'to in general bythe reference numeral 18. Among other parts, the boat 10 includes a bottom 12 and a. transom 14. Clamped on the transom 14 rearwardly ofthe boat 10 is a conventional outboard motor 16 which includes a lower housing portion 18 and a screw or propeller 20. It will be noted that the lower housing portion 18 and screw 20 are disposed below the bottom 12 of the boat 10. Thus when the boat 10 is moved into shallow water, the lower housing portion 18 and the screw 20 are subject to damage by the engagement with the bottom of a body of water. In order to prevent this, there is also mounted on the transom 14 the outboard motor attachment which is the subject of this invention, the attachment being referred to in general by the reference numeral 22.

The outboard motor attachment 22 includes a pair of transversely spaced mounting brackets 24 and 26. As is best illustrated in Figure 3, the mounting brackets 24 and 26 are of inverted U-shape and include a clamping fastener 28 for removably securing the mounting brackets 24 and 26 to the transom 14. It is to be noted that the mounting brackets 24 and 26 are so spaced whereby they sufficiently clear all parts of the outboard motor 16 in the vicinity of the transom 14.

Pivotally connected to the mounting bracket 24 by means of a pivot pin 3% is a depending support arm 32. A similar support arm 34 is pivotally connected to the mounting bracket 26 by means of a pivot pin 36, the pivot pin 36 being secured to the support arm 34 and being rotated in the mounting bracket 26.

It is to be noted that the support arms 32 and 34 are so configurated whereby the lower portions thereof are more closely spaced together than the upper portions, this being best illustrated in Figure 2. Each of the support arms 32 and 34 is preferably formed of a length of pipe which has secured to the upper end thereof a mounting fitting 38, the mounting fitting38 being'generally L-shaped in configuration and including a verticalportion 40 telescoped over the upper end of the pipe forming support arm of which it is a part and a horizontal portion 42 which is provided at the forward end thereof with an aperture 44 receiving its respective pivot pm.

The lower end of the support arm 32 is curved rearwardly and upwardly as at 46. The lower end of the support arm 34 is similarly curved as at 48. Extending between the curved portions 46 and 48 of the support arms 32 and 34 is a bottom engaging shoe 50. The shoe 50 has an upper part 52 which is of a reduced width and which extends the support arms 32 and 34, as is best illustrated in Figure 4.

Disposed between the portions of the support arms 32 and 34 is an outboard motor push block 54. The push block 54 is secured to the support arms 32 and 34 by means of a pin 56. The rear part of the push block 54 is recessed as at 58 for suitable engagement with the housing of the outboard motor 16 in the manner best illustrated in Figures 1 and 3.

Secured to the pivot pin 36 on the side of the mounting bracket 26 remote from the support arm 34 is a ratchet wheel 60. Inasmuch as the pivot pin 36 is ri idlv secured to the support arm 34, the ratchet wheel 60 will rotate with the support arm 34. Carried by the mounting bracket 26 is a resilient dog member 62 which is engaged with the ratchet wheel 6t! to normallv limit rotation thereof in one direction. A releasing handle 64 is pivotally mounted on the pivot pin 36 for engagement with the dog member 62 to move it to an inoperative position.

It is to be noted that the bottom en a ing shoe 50 is so positioned with respect to the lower housing portion 18 and the screw 20 so as to provide a suitable seal for the screw 20.

In the normal operation of the outboard motor attachment 22, as the boat 10 a roaches shallow water or a protection in the bottom of the bodv of water. such as the proiection 66. the bottom en aging shoe 50 engages the proiection 66 and causes a tilting of the support arms 32 and 34 to the position best illustrated in Figure 3. Inasmuch as the push block 54 en ages the outboard motor 16, and since the outboard I6 is unrestrained against pivoting except for the forces of gravity. it will be seen that the outboard motor 16 will pivot upwardly together with the su ort a ms 32 and 34. Inasmuch as the ratchet wheel 60 pivots with the su ort arm 34 and it is retained against swinging in a counterclockwise direction by the dog member 62. it will be seen that the outboard motor 16 and the support arms 32 and 34 will be retained in the tilting position of Figure 3 until such time as the dog member 62 is moved out of enga ement with the ratchet wheel 60. Thus. when the boat 10 is pro ressing through shallow water with the water becoming shallower all the time, the outboard motor 16 will be progressively swung upwardly with respect to the boat 10 so as to clear the bottom at all times. Because of such a progressive pivoting of the outboard motor 52. the boat 10 may be safely beached or run through shallow water. Once the boat 10 is again in relative deep Water, the outboard motor 16 may be returned by gravity to its original position by releasing the dog members 62 utilizing the release member 64.

From the foregoing description of the outboard motor attachment 22, it is readily apparent that it may be mounted on existing boats in conjunction with existing outboard motors without any changes whatsoever in either the boat construction or the outboard'motor.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In combination with a boat transom having an outboard motor secured thereto, said motor including an engine with a lower housing unit secured thereto and depending therefrom, said lower housing unit including a propeller mounted for rotation and operatively connected to said engine; an outboard motor guard attachment comprising a mounting bracket, means on said mounting bracket for removably attaching said bracket to said transom independent of said outboard motor, a depending support arm, means mounting said support arm on said mounting bracket for pivotal movement, a bottom engaging shoe carried by said support arm at the lower end thereof with said bottom engaging shoe positioned in alignment with and forwardly of the lower end of said lower housing unit and said propeller to form a shield therefor.

2. In combination with a boat transom having an outboard motor secured thereto, said motor including an engine with a lower housing unit secured thereto and depending therefrom, said lower housing unit including a propeller mounted for rotation and operatively connected to said engine; an outboard motor guard attachment comprising a mounting bracket, means on said mounting bracket for removably attaching said bracket to said transom independent of said outboard motor, a depending support arm, means mounting said support arm on said mounting bracket for pivotal movement, a bottom engaging shoe carried by said support arm at the lower end thereof with said bottom engaging shoe positioned in alignment with and forwardly of the lower end of said lower housing unit and said propeller to form a shield therefor, an outboard motor push bar carried by said support arm intermediate the ends thereof.

3. In combination with a boat transom having an outboard motor secured thereto, said motor including an engine with a lower housing unit secured thereto and depending therefrom, said lower housing unit including a propeller mounted for rotation and operatively connected to said engine; an outboard motor guard attachment comprising a mounting bracket, means on said mounting bracket for removably attaching said bracket to said transom independent of said outboard motor, a depending support arm, means mounting said support arm on said mounting bracket for pivotal movement, a bottom engaging shoe carried by said support arm at the lower end thereof with said bottom engaging shoe positioned in alignment with and forwardly of the lower end of said lower housing unit and said propeller to form a shield therefor, cooperating means connected to said support arm and said mounting bracket for retaining said support arm in an elevated position.

4. In combination with a boat transom having an outboard motor secured thereto, said motor including an engine with a lower housing unit secured thereto and depending therefrom, said lower housing unit including a propeller mounted for rotation and operatively connected to said engine; an outboard motor guard attachment comprising a mounting bracket, means on said mounting bracket for removably attaching said bracket to said transom independent of said outboard motor, a depending support arm, means mounting said support arm on said mounting bracket for pivotal movement, a bottom engaging shoe carried by said support arm at the lower end thereof with said bottom engaging shoe positioned in alignment with and forwardly of the lower end of said lower housing unit and said propeller to form a shield therefor, cooperating means connected to said support arm and said mounting bracket for retaining said support arm in an elevated position, said cooperating means including a ratchet wheel connected to said support arm, and a resilient dog member connected to said mounting bracket and engaged with said ratchet wheel to prevent reversal of said support arm and said ratchet wheel.

5 In combination with a boat transom having an outboard motor secured thereto, said motor including an engine with a lower housing unit secured thereto and depending therefrom, said lower housing unit including a propeller mounted for rotation and operatively connected to said engine; an outboard motor guard attachment comprising a mounting bracket, means on said mounting bracket for removably attaching said bracket to said transom independent of said outboard motor, a depending support arm, means mounting said support arm on said mounting bracket for pivotal movement, a bottom engaging shoe carried by said support arm at the lower end thereof with said bottom engaging shoe positioned in alignment with and forwardly of the lower end of said lower housing unit and said propeller to form a shield therefor, cooperating means connected to said support arm and said mounting bracket for retaining said support arm in an elevated position, said cooperating means including a ratchet wheel connected to said support arm, and a resilient dog member connected to said mounting bracket and engaged with said ratchet wheel to prevent reversal of said support arm and said ratchet wheel, and a dog member releasing device for selectively permitting said support to return to a vertical position.

6. In combination with a boat transom having an outboard motor secured thereto, said motor including an engine with a lower housing unit secured thereto and depending therefrom, said lower housing unit including a propeller mounted for rotation and operatively connected to said engine; an outboard motor guard attachment comprising a mounting bracket, means on said mounting bracket for removably attaching said bracket to said transom independent of said outboard motor, a depending support arm, means mounting said support arm on said mounting bracket for pivotal movement, a bottom engaging shoe carried by said support arm at the lower end thereof with said bottom engaging shoe positioned in alignment with and forwardly of the lower end of said lower housing unit and said propeller to form a shield therefor, an outboard motor push bar carried by said support arm intermediate the ends thereof, cooperating means connected to said support arm and said mounting bracket for retaining said support arm in an elevated position.

7. In combination with a boat transom having an outboard motor secured thereto, said motor including an engine with a lower housing unit secured thereto and depending therefrom, said lower housing unit including a propeller mounted for rotation and operatively connected to said engine; an outboard motor guard attachment comprising a mounting bracket, means on said mounting bracket for removably attaching said bracket to said transom independent of said outboard motor, spaced depending support arms, means pivotally mounting said support arms on said mounting bracket, a bottom engaging shoe extending between the lower ends of said support arms, said support arms being of a length to align said bottom engaging shoe with said outboard motor propeller to form a shield therefor.

8. In combination with a boat transom having an outboard motor secured thereto, said motor including an engine with a lower housing unit secured thereto and depending therefrom, said lower housing unit including a propeller mounted for rotation and operatively connected to said engine; an outboard motor guard attachment comprising a mounting bracket, means on said mounting bracket for removably attaching said bracket to said transom independent of said outboard motor, spaced depending support arms located forwardly of said housing extending below the latter, means mounting said support arm on said mounting bracket for pivotal movement, a bottom engaging shoe carried by said support arms and positioned thereon at the lower end thereof whereby said tail fin and said propeller will be protected.

9. In combination with a boat transom having an outboard motor secured thereto, said motor including an engine with a lower housing unit secured thereto and depending therefrom, said lower housing unit including a propeller mounted for rotation and operatively connected to said engine; an outboard motor guard attachment comprising a pair of spaced mounting brackets, means on said mounting brackets for removably attaching said brackets to said boat transom on opposite sides of said outboard motor and independent of the latter, spaced depending support arms, means pivotally mounting said support arms on said mounting brackets, a bottom engaging shoe extending between lower ends of said support arms, said support arms being of a length to align said bottom engaging shoe with an outboard motor screw to form a-shield therefor, said support arms being spaced apart at their lower ends an amount greater than the diameter of the circle scribed by the outermost ends of said screw upon the rotation thereof.

10. In combination with a boat transom having an outboard motor secured thereto, said motor including an engine with a lower housing unit secured thereto and depending therefrom, said lower housing unit including a propeller mounted for rotation and operatively connected to said engine; an outboard motor guard attachment comprising a pair of spaced mounting brackets, means on said mounting brackets for removably attaching said brackets to said boat transom on opposite sides of said outboard motor and independent of the latter, spaced depending support arms, means pivotally mounting said support arms on said mounting brackets, a bottom engaging shoe extending between lower ends of said support arms, said support arms being of a length to align said bottom engaging shoe with an outboard motor screw to form a shield therefor, said support arms being spaced apart at their lower ends an amount greater than the diameter of the circle scribed by the outermost ends of said screw upon the rotation thereof, said support arms being spaced apart at their lower ends an amount greater than the diameter of the circle scribed by the outermost ends of said propeller upon the rotation thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,328,313 Borchert Jan. 20, 1920 1,384,009 Borchert July 5, 1921 1,559,616 Johnson et a1. Nov. 3, 1925 2,676,559 Davies Apr. 27, 1954 

